I. Love. Fall.

Fall is finally here!  Well, not officially but I always consider September 1st as the start of fall.  Additionally, I've also felt like that should be New Years  Day.  The new school year has started, all the TV shows start their new seasons, etc.  I just wish that the summer humidity would get the memo and leave for good.  We had a wicked thunderstorm early on the morning of September 1st.  I thought for sure it would usher in cool, dry air but it probably got twice as humid!  88%!!!!!  Although the temp stayed in the low 70s, with the rain it was like being in the tropics.  We had a couple of nice days and then back to humidity yesterday.  And people wonder why I avoid the deep south like the plague.

I'm sort of excited for football starting again. I say 'sort of' because Russell doesn't like it, although if there's a game on that I really want to see, he'll suffer through it.  But truth be told, I have lost interest in college games because I don't get to see my Pac 12 teams like Cal, University of Washington, University of Oregon, etc. About the only team I like that is broadcast regularly is Notre Dame.  It's the same for NFL games; I never get to see the NFC West 49ers or Seahawks and I'm only marginally into the AFC East Patriots.  Plus being in this time zone, the games start way later than they did when I was out west.  I really loved the 10, 1 and 5 schedule, and 5:30 for Monday Night Football. Watching football was something I did with Brian so it's really bittersweet watching them alone and Russell & I aren't making new memories by watching the games either.  When I hear the Fox NFL music, all the memories of 20+ autumns on the west coast come flooding back and sometimes I'm just not emotionally prepared to deal with them.  There's a really cool commercial for Northwestern Mutual that was airing during Notre Dame games...well the commercial isn't cool so much as the music which I love, but it brings me back to my last fall season out west, 2010.  I found it on You Tube and sometimes I watch it just to hear the music but then I end up getting all teary eyed because I remember how I'd turn up the volume when it came on, I can still see how the beautiful fall light looked in the family room of my old house....I had no idea it was my last fall there.  Anywho.....

Right before Labor Day, I had hubby home for a little over a week because his truck was in the shop. We've been killed with expensive repairs & down time this year, and sadly realized that, with all the money shelled out, he could have bought a new truck.  When he's home, I don't really do much in the craft room because I'd rather be in the livingroom with him.  As a result, my craft table became a hot mess as I kept putting stuff on it with the intent to finish projects and/or put stuff away.  I did finally complete a few things and get it cleaned up, but as I write this, it's already starting to get messy again.

Another friend of ours passed away on August 23rd....I started out in kindergarten with Joya.  Russell knew her really well too; her family is very prominent & well-liked in town and have seen more than their fair share of heartbreak over the years.  She had been battling cancer for many years and fought the good fight until she couldn't do it anymore.  Joya was a really sweet, kind person and it's so unfair that one of the good ones was taken at such a young age, esp. leaving behind 2 sons.  Fortunately she got to see her youngest graduate from high school in June.  It was extremely sad saying goodbye to her and as always, got me thinking about our own mortality now that we are getting to 'that age' when health issues begin to be a problem.  That's why we've spent the better part of this year getting checked out and obtaining the right prescriptions to stave off any issues.  I finally took the bull by the horns this year and underwent all the unpleasant poking, prodding and invasive exams, including a very painful trip to the dentist in June and also getting new glasses, since mine were literally falling apart and were glued back together in a couple of spots.

The eye doc dilated my eyes so I had to wait a couple of hours before we ventured up to the Walmart in Plymouth so that I could get the prescription filled.  I just wanted cheap & easy.  This was the first frame I was drawn to.  It fit, Russell said they looked good, so I proceeded to the salesperson to have everything written up.  It was only then that I noticed I chose a pair of frames with rhinestones in them. Figures.

Also in the 'Yay Me!' department, my dear friend JoLisa sent these earrings to me!!!!  Aren't they cool?

I got this fridge magnet from another dear friend, Stephanie!  I get the feeling that people think of me whenever they see peace signs and 60s stuff.  I can't imagine why....

And then I got this awesome package from my bff Liz!  She had those little baskets hanging around and she also included a crescent moon shaped bottle of maple syrup!!!  It's such a lovely gold colour that I am torn between wanting to use the syrup and keeping it sealed.

One of my mom's friends that visited last month sent a box of cross stitch kits & big bag of floss that she didn't want and thought I could use!  Uh YUH!  I can't wait to do the one with the sea shells, and those smaller kits will be awesome for when my honey is home and I want to both craft and spend time with him. Have you noticed that I seem to now be the person who will take all unwanted craft supplies?  I'm like the King Moonracer of Misfit Crafts.

Russell's computer had a bit of an accident so he was without it the whole time he was home, and then it took time to get one ordered.  Fortunately I'd picked up a jigsaw puzzle over the summer and I presented it to him when he was grumbling about missing his virtual jigsaw game on Facebook.  He worked at this steadily for several days.  I'd also purchased the jigsaw glue/sealer, so I hung it on the inside of the front door.   

A couple of obligatory furkid pics.... Little Peeps loves that space between my chair, table & couch. She will have a fit if she can't get in there when I'm fully reclined and paw at me relentlessly till I clear the way for her.  

The little shit is getting so brazen about hopping on my chair when I'm home.  It's a constant battle of wills with this one.  He's just lucky he's so cute.  Still, when I order him off, he takes his sweet time.  He'll stretch out his forelegs on the floor but keep his back legs/paws on the seat.  Like I said, he's lucky he's cute.

But the best news of all is that I finally got a new camera.  I've been saying it for the past year or so but circumstances kept me from being able to get a really good one.  I started researching in earnest over the spring and I agonized over my decision for weeks till my better half finally said, somewhat impatiently, 'Will you please just buy the damn thing instead of talking about it?"  I got it narrowed down to Canon or Nikon. Then I went back and forth for days, debating the merits of the Rebel T3i and D5200.  My friends on FB were weighing in and Canon seemed to be the more popular choice.  Some of my friends asked pro photogs they knew for an opinion, and Canon was the one recommended, so that's what I decided to order.  Then came the arduous task of deciding where to buy it.  It basically came down to who offered the best deal. Amazon.com won by a landslide, offering not only the camera & lens, but also a zoom lens, tripod, extra rechargeable battery & charger, memory card, camera bag, strap and a few other doodads, for the cost of just the camera on other websites.

Knowing me, I'll be terrified to use it and too impatient to read the manual or watch the tutorials. I'll just be happy if I don't encounter the dirty sensor issue.

We were at it again!

We cut em in half and iced them that way again.

Purple heart!

I'm excited to put up our decorations, as soon as it cools off.